City Departments

City launches 'Neighbors for Road Safety' program Participants will get tools to organize neighbors to address local road safety issues

SEATTLE - - Mayor Mike McGinn today announced a new "Neighbors for Road Safety" program, which mobilizes Seattle residents to help raise awareness of road safety issues in their communities.

Participants who sign up to be a Neighbor for Road Safety will have several resources available to them: educational materials; hard data on neighborhood-specific road safety issues; a neighborhood-specific presentation; a Be Super Safe comic addressing the most common causes for collisions; monthly communications about road safety issues; information on projects happening in peoples' neighborhoods - including projects that are new facilities people might not be familiar with; and direct access to SDOT's Community Traffic Liaison to develop strategies to address local needs.

Neighbors for Road Safety was launched as a pilot project earlier this year in South Lake Union. Neighbors there have learned about collisions in their neighborhood, the circumstances that contribute to crashes, and have worked to identify safety improvements for people walking and biking along Denny Way. SDOT is in progress on installing those crossing improvements.

"We hear from neighbors all the time that they want their streets to be safer," said Mayor Mike McGinn. "By working with neighbors throughout Seattle and equipping them with expert knowledge of road safety issues, rules of the road, and projects in their neighborhood, we hope to increase road safety throughout the city."

"Whether you are a driver like I am, take, the bus, or streetcar, ride a bike, or walk, it's important that people understand how to look out for each other," said Mike McQuaid, president of the South Lake Union Community Council. "This program will help us all be more safe."

Sign-up for the Neighbors for Road Safety program is available at http://www.seattle.gov/beSuperSafe/nfrs/. This program builds on the Road Safety Action Plan and Be Super Safe outreach campaign launched in 2012. Seattle's long-term vision is to reach zero fatalities and serious injuries by 2030.